Means for controlling registration of self-playing organs.



No. 638,709. Patented Dec. I2, I899. F. W. HEDGELAND.

MEANS FOR CONTROLLING REGISTRATION OF SELF PLAYING ORGANS.

(Application and rm. 1a, 1399.

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK W. HEDGELAND, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE WV. 7. KIMBALL COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE. c

MEANS FOR CONTROLLING REGISTRATION OF SELF-PLAYING ORGANS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 638,709, dated December 12, 1899.

Application filed February 13,1899. Serial No. 705,398. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FREDERICK W. HEDGE- LAND, a citizen of the United States, residing in Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Means for Controlling the Registration of Self-Playing Organs, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention has been to provide more practical means for automatically controlling stop and swell actions in selfplaying organs than has heretofore been used. In some of the constructions heretofore employed to accomplish this result the perforated music-sheet by which the instrument is c011- trolled has been provided with perforations controlling ducts in the tracker-range which lead to valves controlling the several actions by which the swells or stops are thrown into and out of service. Inasmuch as the swells or steps are usually in service for consider; able lengths of time, the perforations have either been made very long or numerous short perforations have been used,so close together that the uncut portions of the sheet between them do not as they pass over the trackerducts wholly shut off the air from the latter. In both of these constructions the opening of the tracker-duct throws the stop into action and the closing of the duct throws the stop out of action, and in both the music-sheet is very much weakened and danger to its integrity greatly increased by the character of the perforations. I have overcome this objection by the following construction: I form in the main music-sheet a series of short or small perforations, all arranged in the same line, so they will pass over the same duct, and spaced to open the duct only at times when the stop or swell is to be put into action and when it is to be put out of action, and to close the tin ct between the opening and closing operations as well as between the closing and opening 0perations-that is to say, these short perforations, Which do not injuriously weaken the sheet, act alternately as they pass the duct to put the stop or swell controlled by them into and out of service, the first one putting it into service and the second throwing it out of service, the third bringing it into action again, the fourth throwing it out of action,

and so on through the series of perforations. With the duct thus controlled and the stop or swell and its actuating devices I combine means controlling the latter whereby the successive impulses received from the trackerrange are caused to alternately open and close the stop or swell. These means are not merely adapted to reverse the actuating devices of the stop or swell, but to render the latter independent of the tracker-range and musicsheet, so that the closing of the tracker-duct during the period the stop or swell is in action will not cause the closing of the latter, as it does in prior constructions. The mechanism by which these results are obtained has two positions of rest, and at each actuation it moves from one to the other, so that it is always ready for the next actuation. Each swell and stop action is provided with this regulating mechanism and with its own tracker-duct, and of course the music-sheet is provided with a row of perforations for each of the ducts.

The nature of my invention will be more fully understood from the description given below and from the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1 is avertical section of that portion of an organ to which my invention relates, and Fig. 2 is a partial plan of the music-sheet.

In the drawings, A. represents the musicsheet through which the instrument is controlled, and B the tracker-range. The former is provided with the usual perforations A for causing the speaking of the reeds or pipes and aiso with one or more series of perforations A A 6150., for controlling the stops and swell, and the range has a separate duct 13 for each series of the last-mentioned perforations. All the perforations of each series are placed in the same row or plane and at such distances apart longitudinally of the sheet as correspond to the commencement and the close of each period of service of the stop or swell controlled by them. The first perforation in each row brings its stop (or swell) into action and the next one in the same row throws it out of action, and the same is true of the third and fourth perforations, and so on, the perforations thus acting alternately in causing the operation and the cessation of action by the stops or swell.

This result will be understood from the description now to be given.

Each duct 13' connects with the chamber of a membrane motor 0, attached to the stem of a shifting valve O, controlling the airpassage C of a pneumatic C The passage C connects in one position of said valve with the outer air and in the other position of the valve with a passage U which is constantly exhausted. A spring 0 tends to expand the pneumatic, and a bleeding or minute passage C permits the exhaustion of duct l3". Attached to the moving side of pneumatic (L is a swinging lever D, having projections D and D at its opposite sides, These projections engage buttons E ant E on a centrallypivoted lever E, one end of which serves as a valve to open and close the mouth of a duct F. A spring E secured to the lever E and changing position with the latter, acts upon the lower end of the lever D and swings the latter into position where its side projections will engage one or the other of said buttons. Thus in the drawings it is shown as in position to engage button E, and at the next actuation of the lever E the spring will shift the lever D, so it will engage the button E By this construction the reversing of lever E is insured, each collapse of the pneumatic C causing a downward movement of the lever D, so that the latter engages one or the other of said buttons, and said lever being shifted each time from one button to the other.

The duct F leads to the chamber behind the membrane motor F, attached to the stem of a shifting valve F controlling the airpassage ll of a power-pneumatie F whose swinging side is attached to a mute G, controlling the reeds in the reedboard shown. The valve F in the position shown connects the pneumatic with the passage F which is constantly exhausted, so that the pneumatic is deflated, and in its other position the valve admits the outer air to and inflates the pneumatic. A bleeding-passage F causes the exhaustion of duct F when its mouth is closed by the valve-lever E.

In the position of the parts shown in Fig. 1 the mute has just been opened by one of the perforations A and it will be noticed that in this position the duct F is charged with outside air, so that the valve controlling the power-pneumatic operating the mute is in the position in which it causes the collapse of said pneumatic, and of course the pneumatic will now remain collapsed until the duct F is closed to the outer air, so that it can be exhausted through the bleeding-passage F, and by this means I retain the mute in its operating position until the trackerduct is again opened by the next following perforation A the mute and its actuating means being thus rendered so far independent of the tracker-range and music-sheet that the closing of the duct by the portion of the sheet intervening between the adjacent perforations A has no effect upon the mute or its operating-prionmatic. \Vhen the next perforation A reaches the tracker duct, the exhaust condition of the duct will be destroyed, and the valve 0 will then be thrown over to its other scat, thereby excluding the outer air from the pneumatic O and connecting it with the exhaust-passage C so that said pneumatic will collapse. This causes a downward movement of the lever D, and in such downward movement said lever reverses the valve-lever E, thereby closing the mouth of the duct F, so that said duct becomes exhausted through the passage F, and the valve F is shifted to its other position and admits outer air to the pneumatic F. The opening of said pneumatic, which now takes place in obedience to spring G, closes the mute. As soon as this second perforation A passes beyond the trackerduct, the latter will be exhausted, so that valve C is returned to the position shown in the drawings, and the pneumatic C is again inflated and lifts the lever D, and when this occurs the spring E by reason of the chan ed position of the lever E, shifts the lower end of the lover I) from the position shown in the drawings to a position over the button E and consequently when the third perforation A reaches the duct and causes the deflation of pneumatic O the lever D will descend and return the lever E to the position shown in the drawings, thereby opening the duct F and causing the throwing of the mute into action again. The spring attached to the moving side of the pneumatic 0 opens said pneumatic and should be strong enough to lift the lever D. Subsequent operations are mere repetitions of those described.

It is desirable, of course, that the stops and swells should all be in their non-acting positions when the instrumentis started in playing a piece of music, and consequently 1 pro vide means for throwing them all out of acting positions at the time the rewinding of the sheet commences. A swinging lever H may be employed for this purpose and connected to the rewind-stop rod ll. his lever II is adapted to bear upon the button E of lever E, and when the rewind-stop is actuated it will shift lever E from the position of Fig. 1 to the position in which it closes the duct F, and of course the lever D will also be shifted at the same time.

\Vhile I have shown my invention as applied to a mute controlling a reedboard, it will be understood that it may be used with any stop action or with any swell action embodied in the instrument. In positioning the perforations controlling the stops and swells in the music-sheet they should be located slightly in advance of the perforations controlling the pipes or reeds which are to be sounded while the stops or swells are in active service. 1

I claim- 1. In a self-playing instrument a musicsheet having separated short perforations arranged in a row longitudinal of the sheet and acting in alternation to throw a stop orswell into and out of service, in combination with a tracker-range, means acting under the control of the sheet and range to throw the stop or swell into and out of action, and mechanism whereby each alternate perforation causes a reverse action by said means, substantially as specified.

2. In a self-playing instrument a musicsheet having a row of separated short perforations for controlling a stop or swell, a tracker-range, and devices for opening and closing said stop or swell, in combination with means whereby said perforations act alternately to cause the opening and the closing of the stop or swell, substantially as specifled.

3. In a self-playing instrument, a musicsheet having a row of separated short perforations for cont-rolling a stop, a tracker-range, and devices for operating the stop, in combination with means whereby said perforations are made to act alternately to cause the opening and closing of the stop, said means also rendering the stop and its operating'devices temporarily independent of the tracker-ran ge and sheet, substantially as specified.

4:. In a self-playing instrument, a musicsheet having a row of separated short perforations for controlling a stop, a tracker-range, and devices for operating the stop in combination with an auxiliary reversing mechanism acting to cause each of said perforations to reverse the action of ,the next preceding perforation, substantially as specified.

5. In a self-playing instrument, a musicsheet having a row of separated short perforations for controlling a stop, a tracker-range, and devices for operating the stop,in combination with reversing means whereby said perforations are made to act alternately to cause the opening and closing of the stop, substantially as specified.

6. In a self-playing instrument, a musicsheet having a row of separated short perfo rations for controlling a stop, a tracker-range, and devices for operating the stop, in combination with a valve and duct controlling said stop-operating devices, a reversing-lever for opening and closing said valve, and a pneumatic controlled by the tracker-range and operating said lever, substantially as specified.

FREDERICK IV. HEDGELAND.

Vitnesses:

H. M. MUNDAY, Enw. S. EVARTS. 

